MANHATTAN BEACH — Chase Budinger was a McDonald’s All-American boys’ basketball player at La Costa Canyon High School in Carlsbad, started all 30 games his freshman season at the University of Arizona and went on to play seven seasons in the NBA.

He switched to beach volleyball in 2017 and became good enough to represent the U.S. at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

There’s still something missing from his resume, however.

A plaque on the Manhattan Beach pier.

Budinger, 37, took a couple steps closer to winning his first Manhattan Beach Open on Saturday by winning both his matches with partner Miles Evans just south of the pier.

The victories put Budinger and Evans in the final four of the prestigious event, where they’ll face third-seeded James Shaw and Chaim Schalk in the first semifinal

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